DECEMBER 18: When chatting with the media on Thursday, Eberflus acknowledged (via Machota) the Cowboys’ defensive performance down the stretch will play a task in deciding his status for 2026. He added an endorsement from the organization just isn’t crucial at this point, although within the absence of a definitive one there’ll little doubt proceed to be speculation a few potential change on the sidelines this offseason. Eberflus will call plays from the booth moving forward after doing so from the sphere.
DECEMBER 17: Although Dallas leads the NFL in total offense and ranks fifth in scoring, the team is all but guaranteed to miss the playoffs. After dropping to 6-7-1 with a loss to the Vikings in Week 15, the Cowboys’ possibilities of earning a postseason bid are under 1%, based on ESPN’s Football Power Index. It’s fair to position a lot of the blame for the Cowboys’ lackluster season on their defense.
Under first-year coordinator Matt Eberflus, previously the Bears’ head coach, Dallas sits twenty ninth in total defense. Only the lowly Bengals have allowed more points than the Cowboys.
With the Cowboys’ defense off to a dreadful start in 2025, owner Jerry Jones and executive vice chairman Stephen Jones gave public votes of confidence to Eberflus leading as much as the Nov. 4 trade deadline. The Cowboys then made noteworthy deals to accumulate defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the Jets and linebacker Logan Wilson from the aforementioned Bengals. In addition they saw linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and cornerback Shavon Revel return from long-term injury absences last month.
Thanks partly to an improved defense, the Cowboys ripped off three straight post-deadline wins over the Raiders, Eagles, and Chiefs. They were firmly within the playoff mix at that time, but that momentum is gone after back-to-back losses to Detroit and Minnesota.
The Cowboys gave up 44 points against the Lions and surrendered one other 34 to the Vikings. J.J. McCarthy, among the many league’s least effective quarterbacks this yr, played the most effective games of his young profession. McCarthy finished 15 of 24 for 250 yards, three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing), and an interception.
After McCarthy helped take a sledgehammer to the Cowboys’ fading playoff hopes, Jerry Jones sounded less bullish about Eberflus. It seems he’ll be under evaluation for the remainder of the season.
“The adjustments that we must be making (defensively) must be with these next three games in mind,” Jones said on Sunday night (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “With three games left within the short time that we’ve got to play them in, then that may impact any adjustments that you just make regarding coaching with the time-frame we’re coping with. That’s a legit query.”
One in all the “adjustments” Dallas made in Week 15 was to present more playing time to Wilson. Jerry Jones noted that was a possibility leading as much as the sport (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News). Wilson then made his first start as a Cowboy and logged more defensive snaps than Kenneth Murray (29 to 22), but the outcomes were uninspiring. Each players recorded one tackle apiece.
Asked about Wilson and Murray, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said (via Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News) that the 2 “can improve in certain areas, and it’s form of pretty consistent throughout our football team immediately.”
Eberflus might have to get more from Wilson, Murray, and the remainder of his defense if he’s going to stay on Schottenheimer’s staff next yr. Otherwise, Eberflus could follow Mike Zimmer because the team’s second consecutive one-and-done defensive coordinator. The Cowboys haven’t had stability there since Dan Quinn‘s three-year run from 2021-23.